Daily Archives: March 4, 2010

LompocRecord.com: “The city of Lompoc’s policy on prayer at the beginning of City Council meetings, decided in a split vote just two weeks earlier, will be returning to the council’s agenda in April for possible change . . . Ruhge had voted in the 3-2 majority in accepting a policy that called for ‘an invocation consisting of inspiring words,’ and outlawed any sectarian language . . . ”

LocalNews8.com (AP): “Utah Gov. Gary Herbert wants a new version of a bill passed by lawmakers that some fear could result in criminal homicide investigations of women who have miscarriages.”

Zenit: “A five-judge panel at the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights accepted Tuesday an appeal filed by the Italian government to a November ruling that deemed crucifixes in public schools a violation of freedom.”

TheDenverChannel.com: “Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a law adopted in 37 other states that would punish people who kill a fetus while committing another crime, after opponents said it’s an attempt to pave the way for a ban on abortion.”

Christian Newswire: “The Colorado Secretary of State has disclosed that 15,690 of the 79,648 signatures submitted by Personhood Colorado were invalid. Beginning today, March 4, Personhood Colorado will have 15 days, per state initiative law, to replace the signatures . . . ”

Americans United for Separation of Church and State: “Americans United for Separation of Church and State today urged the Senate to reject an amendment reauthorizing Washington, D.C.’s controversial school voucher program.”

Times-Picayune: “Attorney General Buddy Caldwell this morning asked the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision requiring that Louisiana issue a birth certificate listing as fathers the two men who adopted a Shreveport-born infant in a New York court.”

CBN: “Imam Abdullah Antepli is the Muslim chaplain at Duke University in North Carolina and served as guest chaplain in the House at the request of Rep. David Price, D-N.C. . . .”

The Bulletin: “Thanks to the efforts of a former Justice Department official, anyone needing credible, peer-reviewed research documenting the harm caused by pornography can now access an impressive library of information at a new website. ‘PornographyHarms.com is a one-stop location for sound research, news articles and opinion pieces demonstrating the harm from pornography,’ said Patrick Trueman, creator of the site . . . ”

HRC Back zStory Blog: “For the third time and with an overwhelming vote of 91-40, the New York Assembly has passed GENDA — a bill to extend employment protections to New Yorkers on the basis of gender identity. The bill faces an uncertain future in the NY state Senate . . . ”

Boston Globe: “Iceland is bracing for a public backlash against the use of taxpayer money to pay its international debts — the latest stumbling block in the tiny island’s difficult struggle out of a deep recession.”

UPI.com: “The vote virtually assures passage of the bills in the Democrat-controlled Senate next week and in the General Assembly this year.”

David Imbriaco writes at the Daily Targum (Rutgers U.): “The leaders of the Speak Up Movement claim that Christians are being ‘indoctrinated’ in public universities. What the leaders of this movement call ‘indoctrination.’ . . . What they are calling a ‘censorship,’ I call our rejection of a system of describing the universe that no longer explains what it claims to explain. In other words, it’s not that we’re actively censoring Christian perspectives on campus . . . Speak Up Movement repeats the right wing mantra that universities are filled with leftist professors, laying in wait to indoctrinate poor helpless Christian students. If this line of reasoning weren’t as serious as it is ridiculous, I would just ignore it . . . as soon as you start telling me how supposedly good your god is, you’ve infringed on my freedom to not practice your faith.”

Speak Up Movement

AP: “The leaders of a new Pentagon study promised Congress on Wednesday an honest assessment on whether allowing gays to serve openly might cause troops to lose their edge in battle.”

Osceola News Gazette: “Osceola County commissioners don’t change the way they conduct invocations at the start of their regular meetings, they could face a lawsuit over the practice, according to County Attorney Jo Thacker.”

The Baltimore Sun: “Sen. Norman R. Stone Jr., a Baltimore County Democrat, wants to override an opinion issued last week by Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler saying that the state should extend benefits and rights to same-sex couples lawfully married elsewhere . . . [Senators] also considered a plan by Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., a Montgomery County Democrat, to legalize them.”

Mike McManus writing at Virtue Online: “Patrick Trueman, who led Justice obscenity prosecutions in the Reagan and Bush I Administrations was given seed money by Morality in Media, a nonprofit organization fighting this plague, to launch a “War on Illegal Pornography.” 1. Enforce the Law . . . 2. Prosecute criminal pornographers . . . 3. Mobilize pro-family and religious leaders to demand action . . . 4. Congress should demand action.”

AP: “The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday.”

Law.com (NJ Law Journal): “A federal judge has denied class action status to families seeking damages from funeral homes in three states for the ghoulish, unauthorized harvesting of their loved ones’ body tissue for transplants.”

LifeNews: “A rumor that sprang up Thursday and would have severe repercussions for the pro-life movement has quickly been put to rest.”

Telegraph: “Mr Wilders’s far-Right Party for Freedom (PVV) made a strong showing in local polls held Wednesday, while the traditionally strong Christian Democratic (CDA) and Labour (PvdA) parties lost support, early results showed . . . It was the strongest party with 21.6 per cent of the vote in Almere, a city of 187,000 people near the capital Amsterdam previously won by the PvdA, and came second in the seat of government, The Hague – the Netherlands’ third largest city with 442,000 residents.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys secured a federal court order Wednesday that silences a city of Phoenix noise ordinance used to stop the ringing of church bells.

“In an opinion handed down Tuesday, the court said the legislation, which contains several provisions including requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions and limiting a woman’s access to pregnancy-ending drugs, violated the state’s constitution that says legislation is limited to one subject.”

Baltimore Sun: “Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor says she is ‘all for’ a proposal that would end competitive elections for Maryland’s Circuit Court judges, championing a concept that is attracting new attention in Annapolis this year because of loosening campaign finance rules and increasing concerns about money flowing into judicial races.”

Arizona Republic: “On a 23-5 margin the Senate voted Wednesday to make it a crime for anyone younger than 18 to send images of nudity or sexual activity by a cell phone or computer. Violators would end up in juvenile court . . . [Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall] said SB1266, which now goes to the Senate, gives prosecutors the opportunity to file less-serious charges [than those which require registration as a sex offender].”

Religion Clause Blog: “Tuesday’s Texas Republican primary ballot included five ‘non-binding resolutions that are the party’s way of gauging support for issues, and for informing voters and elected officials where the party’s grassroots stand on the issues . . .’”

Religion Clause Blog: “In Faith Baptist Church v. Waterford Township, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18226 (ED MI, March 2, 2010), a Michigan federal district court held that a church lacks standing to complain about police investigations of complaints about the volume of music coming from the church during rehearsals, services and concerts . . . ”

LifeNews: “The Senate Judiciary has confirmed pro-abortion activist Dawn Johnsen, whom President Barack Obama appointed for a powerful Justice Department position.”

One News Now: . . . Dr. Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, was stricken with St. Louis encephalitis after he was bitten by a mosquito last summer. From August through November he spent 121 days in the hospital and rehabilitation and later underwent surgery for cancer in his left eye. His son Tim currently serves as AFA president and is expected to lead the ministry . . .

ADF attorney Jordan Lorence appeared on CBN News to discuss the “Ask God What Your Grade Is” case.

The MP4 runs approx. 2 minutes.

ADF attorney Doug Napier appeared on the Georgene Rice Show to discuss the National Day of Prayer litigation.

The MP3 runs approx. 10 minutes.

SCOTUS Blog has published its latest list of petitions to watch. The list includes this:

Title: McCullen v. Coakley
Docket: 09-592
Issues: Whether the establishment by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of unique speech-free zones around abortion clinics is consistent with the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Filings available at the link.

William E. May writes at the Culture of Life Foundation: “The more clinicians discover about the so-called “persistent vegetative state” the more they realize the diagnosis is a moving target, not a monolithic state in which all possibility of consciousness has been irretrievably lost. This should give everybody pause before they (we) go on confidently to treat “vegetative” patients the way Michael Schiavo treated his wife Terri.”

Sea Coast Online: “Two Christian preachers who claim they were wrongfully arrested for spreading the word of God at Hampton Beach have reached a settlement with the town in a lawsuit they filed in U.S. District Court against the Police Department . . . The two men — backed by the Alliance Defense Fund — sued the town last October claiming their First Amendment rights were violated when they were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct Aug. 4, 2008, at Hampton Beach.”

WorldNetDaily: “A Christian man is now allowed to hand out religious tracts to passersby outside a Michigan post office after a postal worker initially threatened him with arrest if he did not immediately leave the area . . . ‘Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and banned from a traditional public forum for peacefully sharing their beliefs,’ ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Jonathan Scruggs said in a statement.”

WorldNetDaily: “The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has begun reviewing a request by the Los Angeles Community College District for permission to reactivate speech restrictions . . . ‘Seventy percent of American colleges have unconstitutional speech codes,’ Hacker told WND. ‘Christians and all students should not be punished for simply expressing views on topics that are appropriate on campus.’”

Marci Hamilton writes at Findlaw: “Ultimately, this case is simply one more in a growing number of disputes in which religious organizations treat government funds as if they were entitlements. The logic goes this way: If others are receiving government funds, the religious groups must be permitted to receive them as well . . . CLS is attempting to shoehorn the case into the Court’s free speech cases, but that is a real stretch. The school is not blocking CLS’s recognition based on the content of its message, as was argued to be the case in Rosenberger v. Rectors of the University of Virginia . . . ”

CBN News: “A California college student is getting his day in court after his professor ridiculed him for speaking about Christianity in a classroom speech . . . ‘A public college shouldn’t penalize Christian students for expressing their beliefs, let alone seek to enforce policies that have already been found unconstitutional,’ said Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Staff Counsel David J. Hacker.” Article includes a video interview with ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence on CBN Newschannel’s Morning program.

LifeSiteNews: “Traditional marriage supporters represented by the Alliance Defense Fund had argued to lower courts that the marriage question should be put to DC voters, but were ignored. According to ADF, 59 percent of voters in the district say they want to vote on the D.C. Council’s new law changing the legal definition of marriage.”

The Blog of LegalTimes: “[Foley & Lardner partner Cleta Mitchell] was listed alongside lawyers from the Alliance Defense Fund on a petition asking Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. to stay the new law until the full Supreme Court could decide whether to hear their appeal of the local court decision.”

USA Today (AP): “‘Feeding the homeless and feeding those who are hungry has been recognized as an important religious belief for years,’ [Kevin Theriot] says. ‘My guess is if they were serving a pancake breakfast to local neighborhood folks that aren’t homeless, then nobody would have a problem.’”

Christian Singles & Spirituality Examiner: “‘Prayer proclamations are a long-established and cherished American tradition going back to the Founding Fathers,’ said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. ‘This is simply a ridiculous lawsuit and an example of one radical organization’s allergic reaction to anything involving God.’”

Christian Examiner: “‘Prayer proclamations are a long-established and cherished American tradition going back to the Founding Fathers,’ said Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. ‘The lawsuit against Mrs. Dobson was based on the ridiculous argument that a private citizen can violate the law by praying, and it is just another example of one radical organization’s allergic reaction to anything involving God.’”

OneNewsNow: “The court also dismissed FFRF’s allegation against presidential proclamations for a National Day of Prayer, occurring this year on May 6th. ‘It indicates that presidents are able to declare a national day of prayer whenever they want to and issue a proclamation accordingly,’ [Kevin] Theriot reports. ‘I think that’s very significant in recognition of our religious heritage and the importance of prayer in our country.’”

CBN News: “A federal judge dismissed Shirley Dobson from a lawsuit challenging the National Day of Prayer on Tuesday . . . ‘Prayer proclamations are a long-established and cherished American tradition going back to the Founding Fathers,’ ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster said.”

Liberty Counsel: “Today, Liberty Counsel filed an Amicus Brief with the United States Supreme Court supporting the privacy of proponents who signed a petition in favor of Referendum 71, which placed on the ballot the question of repealing the recent law giving all the privileges of marriage to homosexual partners in Washington. ”

“Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. on Tuesday declined to stop a new law allowing gay marriage in Washington, D.C., clearing the way for the district to begin handing out marriage licenses to same-sex couples . . . Mitchell was listed alongside lawyers from the Alliance Defense Fund on the petition asking Roberts to stay the new law . . . (Law.com – National Law Journal)

Catholic Culture: “The House of Lords has voted to allow churches to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.”

OneNewsNow: “The court also dismissed FFRF’s allegation against presidential proclamations for a National Day of Prayer, occurring this year on May 6th. ‘It indicates that presidents are able to declare a national day of prayer whenever they want to and issue a proclamation accordingly,’ [Kevin] Theriot reports. ‘I think that’s very significant in recognition of our religious heritage and the importance of prayer in our country.’”

Catholic Culture: “The Observer, the student newspaper at the University of Notre Dame, has declined to print a column that defends Church teachings on homosexuality activity.”

Daily Mail: “Hundreds of ‘grammar-style’ schools run on traditional academic values and proper discipline would get the go ahead within weeks of a Tory election victory, the party will announce today.”

Douglas MacKinnon writes at Townhall: “For the president, he seems to believe that should the country actually realize that he is in fact a ‘socialist’ and ‘ideologue,’ then he will be a one-term president at best. For certain GOP leaders, they seem to fear a mainstream media which will label them ‘politically incorrect,’ ‘rude,’ ‘offensive’ or much worse should they assign those definitions to the president.”

Todd Starnes: “British schools are creating ‘hate registers’ to monitor boys and girls who might be accused of what used to be called schoolyard banter but is now considered ‘homophobic.’ And the British government could soon make such lists mandatory.”

NY Times: “Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation’s classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools . . . ”

“The Center for Arizona Policy has impacted the daily life of nearly every Arizonan in some way or another over the past 14 years . . . ”

AP on Yahoo: “A congressman who has played a key role in the long-running health care debate says he and 11 other Democrats will vote against the overhaul unless a provision subsidizing abortion is removed.”

Obama names brother of undecided House Dem to Appeals Court.